What is Purple Heart?

If you’re looking for a standard moving experience and want a full-service brokerage company that finds you middle-of-the-road prices, say hello to Purple Heart Moving Group.

Purple Heart Moving Group is a no-frills, family-owned and family-operated brokerage moving company based in Florida. As a brokerage company, it’ll find you moving companies that get the job done without trying to upsell you pricey carriers.

Read on to hear everything we have to say on the matter in our Purple Heart Moving Group Review.

Pros

Moderate prices

30-day free storage

Select packing materials with every move

Disassembly/reassembly of furniture

Cons

Partnerships with standard (vs. top rated) moving companies

Limitations on 30-day storage

Over-the-phone estimates only (no in-home option)

Things we like

Purple Heart appeals to movers who want a standard, simple move and who don’t care to pay a ton to get there.

We also like that along the East Coast, Purple Heart Moving has its own trucks and carrier fleet, which can service people in reach.

Here are the features we like best about Purple Heart Moving Group:

Budget-minded prices

Disassembly and reassembly of any standard piece of furniture

30 days of free storage

We’ll get into these details below, but let’s talk about which services are included in the price of the move and which are extra.

Included vs. paid services

Services

Included

Extra

Storage

*

Full-service packing

Packing materials

**

Disassembly/reassembly of furniture

Basic valuation protection

Full-value protection

Services

Storage

Full-service packing

Packing materials

Disassembly/reassembly of furniture

Basic valuation protection

Full-value protection

Included

Extra

*

**

*30 days of free storage is offered depending on the size of load, time of year, and availability of storage units.**Bubble wrap, shrink wrap, and a moving blanket are included in every move—additional materials cost extra.

Just so you know

Just so you know

Supplies like large boxes for TVs are extra, but Purple Heart puts on seasonal specials for free moving supplies—so be sure to ask about that.

Standout feature #1: Middle-of-the-road prices

Purple Heart gets that not every mover wants carte blanche—or to pay for it. Because of this, unlike other brokerage companies, Purple Heart won’t seek out moving companies with specialty services and sky-high prices, which is ideal for the budget-minded mover.

Instead, Purple Heart Moving company will go to bat to book you fair prices on standard moves. In pairing you with solid companies that make fair offers, Purple Heart is able to help movers who have tighter budgets or less specific moving needs.

Standout feature #2: 30 days free storage

Purple Heart provides thirty days of free storage on most moves, which is a rarity in the moving industry. The only caveat here is that it offers it on most moves—not all.

Essentially, if Purple Heart has a storage unit available, it’ll give you thirty days of storage. Whether or not it has a storage unit available all depends on the time of year (i.e., how busy it is) and the size of your inventory.

Standout feature #3: Furniture setup and take-down

Purple Heart will do the drudgery of assembly and disassembly of any standard piece of furniture for you.

Not all moving companies offer this perk in their moves, so take note if your IKEA dresser was a pain to build the first go-round. Purple Heart will do the work for you—both times.

How is the cost determined?

No matter which company you end up going with—whether that’s Purple Heart’s Moving Group in Florida or another moving company it assigns you—your overall cost will depend on the following factors:

Moving distance

Time of year (summer being the busiest and most expensive season)

Location

Shipment volume (in non-summer months this is around $3.98 per cu. ft.)

Level of moving insurance

Storage fees

Moving/packing materials

Transport, taxes, tolls, mileage, labor, field surcharges

Because you’ll be using a brokerage company, you’ll pay your overall cost to Purple Heart, which will be split into three payments.

Initial deposit

Pickup day payment

Delivery day payment

No date change penalties

No date change penalties

As long as you give seven days’ notice prior to your scheduled move date, you can change your date as many times as you’d like within that year and still receive a full refund.

Additional fees and services

Some services, like storage, will cost extra depending on availability. Others are extra depending on where you’re moving to/from and how much you’re moving.

Here are the fees and services that would fall into this camp:

Long-carry fee: If they have to park the moving truck more than 75 feet from your front door, you’ll pay extra by about $1.00 a foot. (Cost will increase in the summer.)

Access fees: A $50.00 fee per floor incurs if a stairway is more than ten steps. For instance, if you live on the eighth floor of an apartment complex, the move will cost more than a first-floor move of a rambler home.

Specialty packing: For fragile items or things that require individualized crafting, like a chandelier, for example, you’ll be charged extra.Bulky item moves: You’ll have to pay extra to move unwieldy, hard-to-move objects like playsets and pianos.

Shuttle service: If the semi-trailer can’t get close enough to the building you’re moving into or out of, Purple Heart will call in a shuttle service, costing a minimum $0.50 per cubic foot.

Full-value replacement: Every move comes with basic valuation—$0.06 coverage per pound—but you can opt for full-value replacement, which replaces any items broken, damaged, or lost during the move.

A word about fees

A word about fees

Like many moving companies, Purple Heart divides its yearly fees into summer months and non-summer months. Fees typically spike on almost all services during summer months—since that’s the industry’s busiest season.

Quotes

To get a quote all you have to do is fill out some basic information on Purple Heart’s website. Heads up, though: Purple Heart’s website gets the job done but is hard to navigate.

To get a quote you’ll need to provide the following information online:

ZIP codes of where you’re moving to and from

Move size (number of bedrooms)

Cubic weight of inventory

Date of move

After you’ve received a ballpark estimate, Purple Heart will have you fill out an itemized inventory of everything you’re moving. Purple Heart doesn’t offer in-home estimates, which means you’ll need to inventory everything yourself—but it also means you don’t have to schedule one more meeting when getting ready for your move.

Typically, your quoted price will increase on moving day since most people forget to include things like rugs in their initial inventory. If you underestimate, this can cause problems on moving day, since Purple Heart will send you a truck based on the number of cubic feet you estimated for.

To combat this, Purple Heart cushions its quotes by 15–20%—so you can plan for the worst-case scenario price-wise.

And even though Purple Heart doesn’t do in-home estimates, there’s still a way to make sure you’re including everything in your inventory. If you book a week in advance of your desired move date, someone from Purple Heart can walk you through your inventory over the phone and remind you of things you might forget.

FYI

FYI

Purple Heart could do better on the customer service front. Each time we’ve called, it’s either been a hit or a miss.

Other important things to ask

Because the process of using a brokerage company varies from using an independent full-service moving company, we broke down each step so you can see the difference.

Step 1: To start, enter general info about your move online (such as ZIP codes and move dates) to get a quote.

Step 2: From there, Purple Heart will request a full inventory of each item that needs to be moved. You’ll go through and complete this inventory, including every item you need moved.

If you request a move at least seven days in advance, a quality assurance representative will call you two to five days before your move date to clarify your inventory and talk you through anything you may have missed.

Step 3: If its own trucks and carrier fleet can’t serve you, Purple Heart will assign you a moving company. It’s a good idea to research this company, as your moving experience will depend on this company.

Step 4: Your mover will come on moving day and take its own itemized inventory of the items you’re moving, revising the inventory you filled out earlier, if necessary.

Step 5: Purple Heart will coordinate the wrapping of any furniture, specialty wrapping, and the disassembly of standard pieces of furniture.

Step 6: The movers will load all your belongings into the moving truck.

Step 7: Your Purple Heart representative will be in constant communication with you throughout the move, updating you by phone and email, though you’ll also have the personal phone number of the truck driver.

Step 8: Once at the destination, movers will unload your belongings, go through the inventory again, and reassemble any items they disassembled.

Why should I use a broker?

Purple Heart will handle the logistics and negotiation required of booking a move by acting as a go-between for moving companies and you.

Combining its understanding of your needs and its rapport with moving companies, Purple Heart makes this process easier by vetting your options for you and then booking the movers. Plus, throughout the process, Purple Heart will facilitate communication between you and your truck driver.

For instance, if it’s difficult for you to get in contact with your truck driver, Purple Heart can step in and use its relationship with the carrier to get you the information you need.

Our opinion

If you take away anything from this Purple Heart Moving review, remember: its rates aren’t overpriced but they don’t seem too good to be true either—they’re a reasonable, happy medium.

Plus, if you live in Florida or along the East Coast, Purple Heart is an especially good option, since it has its own trucks and carrier fleets there. That way, you get the benefits of its logistical expertise and the simplicity of working directly with a single moving company.

So if you’re a mover looking to do a standard move that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, we recommend Purple Heart. And keep in mind, when working with a brokerage company, your experience largely depends on the mover Purple Heart books you with.

About Julia Campbell

A Washington, DC, native turned West Coast transplant, Julia is a full-time writer and amateur hiker. Experienced in relocating, she knows the tricks of the trade when it comes to all things moving.

Rebecca Reid

I did a lot of research before stumbling upon Purple Heart Moving. I put in a list of my things online along with some other information online and started receiving a lot of phone calls. I probably got 30 within the first 12 hours. This was quite overwhelming at my age.
However, I received a call from a family friend who found out I was moving and recommended this company. I got in touch with a lovely young gentleman who stayed on the phone with me and walked me through how to research some other companies, as well as Purple Heart. I was able to receive a discount since my deceased husband was in the military for over 20 years.
I was very flexible on the time frame of the move, this made it easy for myself and the company to set it up. I decided to pack myself, and though this was a tough decision, I needed to save money where I could. I set the move up for two months out which gave my ample time to pack properly.
What really solidified the fact that I made the correct decision was, the gentleman I was speaking to helped me order all different kinds of boxes off online before we got off the phone. They were delivered right to my door a few days later. I didn’t have to stress about going to the store and making sure I was purchasing enough. It was such a blessing.
When the movers arrived I had everything packed and labeled. They moved the big items, like the beds and couches for me. They also supplied blankets to protect all of my china cabinets and antique dressers.
They were in and out faster than I expected. The whole three bedroom house took them less than 4 hours to wrap and pack up everything in the truck. I was completely in awe.
The whole move took about two weeks, which I knew ahead of time. The customer service department was able to give me updates when I relentlessly called. I had arrangements to stay with my sister while the move was taking place.
The delivery went just as smoothly as the pick up. I had no errors and I am pleased to say that I went with Purple Heart Moving Group. They did an amazing job and I am cordially writing this to recommend them to others.

Kondor Osdol

I booked with this company because I was referred by a fellow colleague. The process was very simple and easy. I was able to do it over the phone and it took less than an hour to set up. The lady I spoke to gave me a lot of information and walked me through the whole process.
Since this was a business move, I needed very specific dates and times. They were able to accommodate. So many other places were not. I did have to pay additional for a specific date of pick up, but they were able to offer it and follow through. I also needed an fast delivery.
The moving people showed up, did their job and delivered great service.

Lemly Mott

I needed to move closer to my family in Dallas and get out of the cold weather. I was able to set up a move six months out and save a bit of money. I had to move in the summer and was told by many companies that this would result in a heftier price.
Though I did not have an option to move at a different time of year, I was able to receive some discounts through Purple Heart, which made things easier.
All the people I spoke to there were so kind. This made the moving transition a great deal easier.
My son and his wife were the ones that were at the pick up. They said everything went flawlessly. I was at my children’s house about a week and half before the delivery. I was given this information prior, so I was prepared. Smooth delivery as well.

Seawood Soaski

Was pleased with the work that this company put in to make my move go smoothly. I had to fix my inventory listed a few days before pick up. Purple Heart let me fix it with them and my price decreased substantially. I had a small budget that was being pushed, so I had decided to have a large ‘yard-sale’ prior to my move.
I have read a lot of reviews during my research about prices increasing on pick up. This did not happen to me. My price remained the same after the adjustment was made prior to pick up. I have recommended them and would do it again.

Vel P

I am old and live alone and needed someone to pack everything for me. I was not able to get my son out to help me in time. I was, unfortunately, not given a lot of time to move. This company helped me within hours set everything up. The packing started not even a week after I called and took a whole day. They put everything in the truck the following day.
All in all, it was a very excellent experience.

Vernon Esp

I was picked up and dropped off in a weeks span. This was my only major request for my move. I needed enough time to drive from California to New York, but did not want to stay in hotels after arriving to NYC. The people who showed up were great. I don’t have anything bad to say about Purple Heart. Their hard work and notice to detail are very much appreciated.

Chuck M

Overall pleased with the services I received. I do not have any major complaints. The movers were a little late showing up. I waited for about an hour longer than expected. Nothing serious, but my time is very valuable. Everything else went flawlessly. I would use them again if they are more accurate with arrival times. Though, I have dealt with this before with maintenance for home appliances. Maybe it is a trucking thing that I have not been aware of. I would use them again for business moves.

Cantino Bucci

Great service provided. The only complaint I had was that I called customer service line and was put on hold for about 15 minutes. The lady who finally answered did explain the situation to me. I guess their power had gone down for the morning, so they had an overload of calls. Regardless, I was happy with everything else. The movers were good and nothing was broken.

Gretchen Rach

Generally pleased with the service that I was given. Everyone I spoke to was nice. The supervisor named Mykeena was helpful everytime I spoke to her. She went out of her way to get updates for me since I was constantly stressed. It is things like that that set companies apart. I move a lot for my company, this one seemed to be more stressful for no fauly but my own. I will be using them again.

Mac Vigil

I moved from Las Vegas to DC. Was never expecting it to be an easy move. Ive lived in Las Vegas for over 30 years. My cousin used this company for a small move about a year ago and said I should check them out. I knew it wasn’t going to be a cheap move. It’s a long move and I have A LOT of stuff. The whole move cost be about $8000, just under. It took 7 hours for everything to be packed and put on the truck. It took 2 weeks for delivery. It took 5 hours for the unloading part. Everything went as expected. Don’t have any negative comments at this time.

Darwin Dobson

Remember that Purple Heart is a Broker, not the mover. Any props for the actual move do not go out to Purple Heart. You happened to get a good mover and are lucky that there were no issues with the quote process or you would have been out of luck. Please send your positive comments to the movers themselves and not Purple Heart.

Nick

Moved twice with them in the last year and a half and figured I would let people know. I have not had issues with them. Everyone I speak to has been nice and gone out of their way to help me and my grandmother. Everything seems to be taken care of a little extra. Delivery has taken a little longer than expected, but in the grand scheme of things, it is not that big of a deal. We still have our health and our love and our lives. Overall, we surely like them and have told our fam about them!

Shelby Nelson

I moved not long ago to Georgia and needed to find a mover quick that was not going to break my bank. I also loved the fact that if need be they offered free storage just in case. Never heard of a company doing that, and we moved a lot with the military. They really do treat your stuff as their own. They are great when it comes to communication, as they return calls promptly and their staff is very kind and knowledgeable. They take that extra time with customers and treat them very well. Would highly recommend their services to anyone who needs a mover in the near future.

Darwin Dobson

Remember that Purple Heart is a Broker, not the mover. Any props for the actual move do not go out to Purple Heart. You are lucky that there were no issues with the quote process or you would have been out of luck. Please send your positive comments to the movers themselves and not Purple Heart.

Cathy

Purple Heart was recommended to me by a friend who had used them for making the exact same move that I was making (for work) from Tennessee to Florida. Just the idea of all my stuff traveling that distance without me was making me freak out. I contacted Purple Heart and had a professional and informative conversation about my move. When the movers arrived, they were efficient and quick. I have had moves in the past where the movers seemed to struggle with my stuff to the point where I thought I was going to have let them lie down, but none of those kind of histrionics with these guys. They packed my apartment within a 5-hour window. I was supposed to receive my things within 14 days and I got them in 10. Everything was in good shape.

Darwin Dobson

Remember that Purple Heart is a Broker, not the mover. Any props for the actual move do not go out to Purple Heart. You happened to get a good mover and are lucky that there were no issues with the quote process or you would have been out of luck. Please send your positive comments to the movers themselves and not Purple Heart.

Totally agree with you. Had a very horrible experience with this company.

Sree Sudha

Horrible experience. I wish I had a chance to read through the reviews earlier. The exact same thing happened to me. The initial quote provided for them was $1576 for a 1-bed condo and I was given an inventory list to be filled in. Once I filled the list the cubic feet measurement was provided but again a new estimate was given for the exact same furniture and just for a mere increase of 26 cf, I was charged an extra $500 and my total moving cost went up to $2100. While sending the second estimate, I was told the amount would be less based on the actual measurements during the move and that never happened. Their customer service was horrible and the lady who spoke on the call was very rude and she was kind of mocking us for not knowing the whole move process procedures. ( we are not professionals who do moves all the time and obviously wouldnt know the tactics behind they inventory estimates). As I am reading through the below reviews, I agree that this company is just a borker company and the actual movers are different. My move was from St.Louis to Plano and was actually done by 5 star moving company. Purple Hearts was just a broker between us and 5-star. The original movers, 5-start moving company was very professional and they helped the move process smoothly. Their staff was very courteous and helpful.

But please never ever chose Purple Heart company for your moving needs. I am 100% confident you would be surprised with their initial estimates and your final moving bill. Very disappointed to deal with this company.

Sara

Do not use Purple Heart! This company contracts out to terrible carriers who are unprofessional, negligent and even criminal. We had numerous delivery times given with no shows, damaged and missing items, and the movers were kicking and throwing boxes. Many boxes were left out in the rain, we have 1/2 a bed, a missing video game console, etc. We now have to go through insurance claims to sort it all out.

Purple Heart takes your money and then pretends they’ll guide the whole move but basically leave you hanging. They tried to make us sign an NDA in exchange for a small discount so not to write this review. AVOID! I recommend Wheaton 🙂